An intelligent controlling of traffic lights means they flexibly adapt to the traffic. When no one has to wait unnecessarily, carbon emissions and noise are significantly reduced, and the roads are optimally used. With Green4transPORT, HPA is testing dynamic traffic management using modern vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication between vehicles and the infrastructure. To achieve this, groups are created for truck traffic, and speed and traffic light phases are adapted dynamically to the amount of traffic at any given time. Two traffic lights near the Kattwyk Dam and 150 trucks are currently testing the system. Information from the other transport options – rail and water – can also be integrated into the analysis to examine the effects on the flow of intermodal transport.
V2X communication takes place via so-called road side units inside the traffic lights which, in turn, interact with the on-board units in the trucks. To transmit the information, the ITS-G5 Wi-Fi communication process has been developed precisely for this purpose. Based on data about the position and speed of all vehicles in the area, the road side unit calculates in real time the ideal length of the green phase for traffic lights. The truck drivers receive information via a smartphone app about the next phase and, as a result, can adapt their driving speed. Sensors and software for Green4transPORT are provided by the company NXP Semiconductors, the world’s largest chip manufacturer in the automotive industry. In addition to Hamburg Port Authority (AöR), project partners are the companies Scania CV AB, Siemens Mobility GmbH, and Technolution B.V.
The model project is scheduled to run to the end of 2020. The results will be presented at the International Conference on Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS), which is taking place in Hamburg in 2021. In the medium term, HPA is planning to expand the use of the technology to a majority of the road network, and has set the following project goals:
